Hellcat Squadran: My Dead Memories
Sovereign Twenty of the creatures slowly left the forest and spotted their prey. They gave chase but their target was crafty and knew the area fairly well, it seemed. They chased their prey through the forestry and into a field, with grass so tall that it cloaked their adversary completely. They searched until night had fallen completely, using their sense of smell more than sight to hunt. Their prey's scent began to intensify, so they proceeded carefully, not wanting to give away their position. They halted, a new scent had been detected. This one was similar, but was actively growing closer. One of their number turned around in time to see a flash of green before dropping dead as a human dove into their number. Within minutes, the Skulblakans were dead. "You're good." Sen said quietly, and Maya rose from the ground, covered with muck and grass. They quickly started moving again before finding a decently sized tree to climb and they strapped themselves to separate branches that were near one another. "Bark sucks." Maya said quietly and drifted off to sleep. Sen slowly nodded in agreement and kept lookout for the rest of the night. ---- Serra woke up and sat up, rubbed her eyes, and hauled herself out of bed. She walked over to Leah, who was sleeping on the other bed, sat down by her, and tapped her on the forehead til she woke up. Leah shot straight up rather quickly. "Anything happen?" She asked cautiously. "No, no. We're on call to help take care of the kids in about half an hour." Serra explained. They had been living in a refugee building for the last few weeks, and people were called in to help watch over the younger children in a large play-room. "Ah, alright." Leah said. "So, if you want to shower or kill the bed-head, now's the time." Serra said and started to put her own hair into a braid. Leah simply nodded and started to fit on her equipment. Serra slung her katana over her shoulders. "How're you holding up lately? You've been a little quiet." "Worried about my family, and Vergil...he and I were talking before all this happened, and..." She trailed off, appearing to maintain her composure, but Serra could see the weight everything was putting on her. "And?" Serra asked gently. Leah hushed up, so Serra nodded, understanding her silence. "Well, we should get moving. Ready to play babysitter?" "I guess..." Leah sighed and they left. They reached the play area and they sat at the table, watching the younglings run about, occasionally calling for them to stop doing something. Serra also kept watch on Coruscant news on a small tablet. "Well, least we know where Sky is..." She mumbled. "Hmmm?" "My friend Skylar." Serra said and showed her the video. It was of a public speech the Skulblaka was broadcasting. In the back, Zyana was sitting on Skylar's lap, Skylar's arms around her waist to keep her from falling off. "Wonder if Zyana got Skylar under her spell." Serra said. "Or maybe she's backed into a corner and is being forced to cooperate." Leah said with a shrug. "True. Sky could always resist Zyana better than the rest of us." "Huh?" Leah asked, confused. "Zyana's got a weird aura that plays with everyone's emotions and makes them really, ''really'' into her. Sky's the only one it doesn't seem to affect." Serra explained. "Really? Oh-kay." "Sharing a house with her is really off putting. Anyway, once we're done here we're gonna help with a new arrival of refugees that are arriving this afternoon." Serra said. Hours passed, and they headed down to the landing bay where a small shuttle landed. Out came a few people they didn't know, but a lone cloaked woman holding a baby stepped out, and she seemed familiar. The woman looked over and flipped her hood down, revealing the face of a haggard Sola Kerana, who approached them. "You're...Sola Kerana, of the Ghost Jedi, right?" Leah asked. "Yeah...where are you guys staying, can I join you with Sylas?" Sola asked tiredly. Leah looked at Serra, as if asking for her opinion. "You'll have to share with her, she has the big bed." Serra warned. "I'm fine with that." Sola groaned. "Alright, come on." Serra said. Leah nodded in agreement and they took her back to their room. Once there, Sola hesitantly gave Leah the sleeping Sylas and lay down on her bed, falling asleep in seconds. Leah began to look for a place to lay him down to sleep. "May just want to hold on to him, for now." Serra said and gestured at the small chair. "I'm...not good with babies." Leah said. "Your mom never teach you?" Serra asked and took Sylas from her. "Never had the chance." "You know...I'd heard these two hadn't made it off Kaven." Serra said. "How do you think they got out?" Leah shrugged. "Also, watch out for the guy in 413, he was eying you pretty intently this morning." Serra warned. Leah flicked her wrist, showing her hidden blade. "Trust me, I can watch out for myself." She said. "Just letting you know. I heard your mom tell someone about my mom's encounter with a tentacle monster, anything could be around the next corner." Serra said. "Heard bits and pieces of what happened. Encountered something similar on Telaron IV, handled myself there." "Its a metaphor, for all you know the guy could have cortosis skin or something. Also, something you should know..." Serra paused. "If Vergil comes in on one of those shuttles, I'm escorting you to the chapel down the road." "How'd you guess that?" Leah said, sounding shocked. "I...didn't. I just think that if any couples get reunited, they just need to marry then and there. Lord knows you may not get another shot." Serra explained. "Uh...right...alright." "Guess he must have been thinking of putting a ring on it." Serra said. Leah sighed and seemed to be thinking on something. "From what I sensed...he and I would have been planning a wedding had it not been for all this." She said. "Take some advice, if you see him walk onto that landing pad, don't wait. Just find a place to sign the papers." "What about you? You have anyone?" Leah asked unexpectedly. "No." Serra said after a pause. "My chance at that died a couple years ago." "How?" "Only one I ever connected with went missing. His body was eventually found as a burned up skeleton." "I'm sorry..." Leah said. "I'm gonna catch a nap. Just hold the kid..." Serra said and gave Leah Sylas and adjusted her arms. She put the bottle of formula on the desk. "If he starts crying, try that. Unless you can feed him manually." Serra told her and lay down on the small bed and fell asleep. "Hi?" She whispered, and Sylas stared back up at her, unblinking. About two hours later, Sola awoke. "Thought you'd still be resting." Leah said. "When you've been through what I have lately, you don't sleep much." Sola said and took Sylas from her. "You know, something's been bugging me." Leah said. "I don't associate with the Llehctims much, but wasn't the infant boy of that family also named Sylas? You called this one by name when you arrived yesterday and asked for a place to stay." "Same kid. Found him in the aftermath. If you check the same reports, you'll find the name Sola Kerana in the KIA list as well." Sola replied. "I see..." Leah said and began pondering whether or not she should look for a way to contact Ezio, had he escaped. "Is it just you two, or no?" Sola asked. "No, there's also Morri, Kira, Korra, Jax and Dean." Sola smiled. "Knew Kira and Korra would be ok. Was worried about the others. Will have to catch up with Jax sometime soon." Sola said, a twinkle in her eye. "Ok..." Leah said. "For now, though, I'm gonna stay here." Sola said. "Uhm...what will you do with Sylas if his family is all dead?" Leah asked carefully. "Then he'll get a last name change and I'll have a kid." Sola said. "Ok. Of course, when the time came to tell him about his original family..." Leah trailed off, cautious. "I would do so then. Until that point though, I would have no qualms calling him my son." Sola said. "Ok." Leah said simply. "Do you know what happened to the group of people who tended to be around Clara Renner?" Sola asked. "No..." "Damn. Thought I'd check...will keep an eye on any refugee ships, and will keep an eye out for anyone you may want to see too." "Alright, I will too." Leah agreed. ---- Clara groaned as she saw the remainder of the supplies. They were running low on food, and with over two hundred mouths to feed, that was extremely worrisome. "Exactly." Vitor said and closed the door. "We need to try to either find local food or make an attempt to loot from that grounded cruiser." He told her. She sighed. There was a grounded Skulblakan cruiser that poured out the insectoid creatures that would scour the surface looking for them. It was also captured from earth, so their best chance was that the food stores on it had not been ravaged. "How would we get on?" She asked. "The best idea I have is that only a few of us board the ship in secret, secure a transport, load it with as many supplies as possible, and return, hopefully without being noticed." Vitor said. "Few against many, the classic scenario." Loran said from behind Clara. Vitor nodded slowly. "I would have you two at my side for this mission." He told them. "And we would leave Aurora in charge of the camp." They both nodded slowly, understanding the importance. "I'll go and tell her." Loran said and departed. "I'll meet you at the cavern entrance, go say bye to Ziva." Clara said and left for the entrance to the cave system. She put her armor disk in the center of her chest and it quickly expanded to cover her. She sat on a rock and waited for several minutes before Loran arrived. "How'd Rorii take it?" She asked. "She hinted that if I don't come back, she'll bring me back from the dead to kill me herself." Loran replied. Clara chuckled, despite the fact that it was probably true. Soon, Vitor arrived, and the three wordlessly left the cavern and started trekking across the wasteland. It took a few hours, but soon, as the climbed a dirt hill, they saw the cruiser sitting in an open stretch of land. "Let's go, no time to waste here." Vitor said and began to creep down the hill. The other two slowly began to follow. ---- Zyana opened the door to her chambers and allowed Skylar to enter them first. Skylar, shakingly, sat down in one of the chairs. Zyana quickly headed over to the liquor cabinet, grabbed a kanar, and tossed it to her. "Thanks..." Skylar said weakly. "Listen...I heard something about Dean..." Zyana said. "What?" Skylar asked, perking up. "He's alive, but he's on Coruscant." Zyana told her slowly. Skylar let out a long sigh of relief, as though some of the stress had been lifted from her shoulders. "Honey...Coruscant is the main hub of the resistance..." Zyana said, trying to get her to piece it together. "Wait..." Skylar said, appearing as though she had figured it out. "Are you saying..." "Yeah." Zyana confirmed. "Coruscant is the next target." Skylar slumped back into the seat, shivering, a look of horror on her face. Zyana knelt down next to her. "I don't know what I can do to help, but I will try to find a way to warn the people there." Zyana said. Skylar seemed unable to speak, but gave a slight nod. "Now, listen close. There is a chance we can get out of here in the coming weeks." Skylar looked up, a look of new found hope on her face, as well as desperation. "No guarantees, but there's a a shot. All it will take is a little bit of you trusting me and a not hitting me when I do some things." Zyana said. "I'll...try..." "You want to see Dean again?" Zyana snapped, a little annoyed. Skylar nodded. "Then you will play along with everything I do these next few weeks. Everything." Zyana instructed. Skylar gulped nervously. Zyana rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, this can stay on." She said, tugging at the hem of Skylar's shirt. "So-" Zyana started and cracked open Skylar's Kanar. "-you can relax for tonight. This will be the first of many you have tonight." Zyana said. Skylar was silent. "Come on now, its not like you're at a party with a young Sean Renner. In his teen years he would sometimes put unwanted substances into peoples' drinks. That's not me, I'll just roofie you so you get some sleep." Skylar raised an eyebrow. "Don't give me that, I like my lovers awake." Zyana objected. "This is where you drink it, Skylar." Skylar took a swig and was unconscious within the minute. ---- Inside the hangar of the downed cruiser, Vitor was crouching amidst a pile of untouched boxes. There were about twenty of the creatures in the hangar, all in the general area of a large tank-like transport. He was counting down in his head from three-hundred, waiting until Loran and Clara would be in position to attack. As he was counting, something walked in the doors to the hangar, something that stunned him senseless for a moment. Two humans walked in, both cloaked and lightsabers dangling from their belts. A creature walked over to them and seemed to have a conversation with them. He swore, still counting. Traitors in war were one thing. Traitors against the universe for annihilation were another thing entirely. ''10...9...8...'' Vitor thought as he gripped his double ended saber. He knew that his shield would not be best used in the close confines of a ship's corridors, so he had left it behind. His single bladed saber hung at his belt, just in case. ''3...2...1.'' He thought and jumped out into view, activating the double saber and spinning in a circle, severing the waists of two creatures. As he did so, Clara jumped down from the rafters and slashed once, cutting two creatures with her Marethari sword, causing them to dissolve into nothingness. Loran followed suit, his pike slashing in a wide arc, killing three and causing the others to jump away from him in panic. Vitor killed four more that stood in his way before diving towards the two traitors. Their sabers were out as he dove at them, and he blocked their strikes and rolled between them. Moving quickly, he deactivated one end of his saber and drew his single bladed weapon, the two purple blades began to quickly clash with the red ones as the two attempted to kill him. Meanwhile, Loran stabbed a creature in the leg and turned to fire a force push into another, causing it to stumbled. He grabbed his weapon and slashed diagonally upwards through the crippled monster and the down diagonally to dismember the second. Clara danced through the remainder of the monsters, slashing savagely and efficiently, killing them all one by one. Vitor slashed downward and severed the hand of one of his opponents. Spinning in a three-sixty motion, he cut upward, slashing the other opponent at the wrist and up his entire forearm. He quickly put the blades to the throats of the two traitors. "Name your terms of surrender." One said. "We will see them carried out." The other chimed in desperately. "There are none," Vitor snarled. "That I would trust a traitor to honor." He said and spun, decapitating both men, whose limp bodies hit the floor, their heads falling several feet away and rolling further. He turned to the other two. "Take their weapons and armor, load them onto the transport. I'm going to see if I can learn more about these things." He ordered. They nodded and set to work, and he ran off into the corridors of the ship. He had to kill four or five monsters along the way, but he soon reached the security room. Amazingly, there was nothing waiting for him, and he soon had access to the security systems. He found one feed of a large armory, where the creatures were being outfitted with strange canons on their shoulders and forearms. He checked for the food stores, and, upon finding its location, which was still intact, he tore out into the corridors to find it. After a few minutes he found the room, which had two creatures patrolling it. It didn't take very long to dispatch them. He crept up behind them, jumped through the air and scissor-kicked each in the head before slashing as he landed, killed them both. He found a large trolley and loaded as much food and water onto it as he could. Once it was full, he started pushing it through the corridors and back to the hangar. Once he was there, he had Loran join him to go get more, and had Clara guard the ship. The worked for an hour before jumping onto the transport and driving towards the hangar. Clara used the force to open it, and they escaped and drove out. ---- Sola sat in the chair, holding Sylas and gently rocking him. Leah was completely asleep on one bed, Serra practically comatose on the other. ''Well, at least I can rely on these two for now, will need to see how the others are tomorrow...'' She thought to herself. As she said it, she felt a presence outside the door, one that was not unfriendly. Carefully, she headed to the door and looked through the peephole. Jax stood on the other side. She quietly opened the door and he held up a piece of paper with the words "May I come in?" On them. She looked at his face and saw a soft smile that said he was really and truly glad to see her alive, a rare flash of honesty for him. She smiled, for the first time in a while, and nodded. She let him in and he crept inside. She returned to her seat. He sat cross legged in front of her and watched as she rocked Sylas back and forth slowly as the baby slept. Jax pointed at Sylas and then to himself, and then to Sola, when he did an impression of someone sleeping. She smiled again, and after a moment of hesitation, carefully gave Sylas to Jax and leaned back in the chair. Soon after, she was asleep. Jax leaned up against the wall, cradling the baby in his arms, glad to know that both Sola and the child had made it off Earth. ---- Zyana sat on a chair behind the Skulblaka as forty terrorists were dragged in the door. ''Leave us.'' His voice said and the Skulblakans left the room. The Skulblaka simply turned its gaze upon four or five of them and they began to age rapidly, soon decaying into dust before their very eyes. ''Zyana. Kill.'' He thought. Zyana obeyed, but did not want to. Her Demon form came into full effect and she lunged forward into the crowd, sending them each into hell one by one, until a sole terrorist remained. ''Leave him. Go. Spread the word. Any future terrorists will suffer far worse.'' The Skulblaka said, and the terrorist scampered from the room. Zyana turned and saw the universe's new Sovereign sit on a newly forged and massive throne, made from the bones of the dead of the initial attack. Harbinger Sola sat rocking Sylas in the children's play area. She and Jax were watching them while Serra and Leah went down to a fitness center. Suddenly, a woman walked in the door. She looked around the room, as if analyzing it, and then her gaze fell to them. They watched as she seemed to be assessing Sola from afar. Sola gave her a look that seemed to tell her to come over. The woman approached. "Who are you?" She asked cautiously, but Sola could detect the underlying curiosity. "Sola Kerana, yourself?" She asked. "Winona Fay. Jedi Order and liaison to the Lin Kuei." The woman said. "Impressive. I used to head the Ghost Jedi." Sola said matter-of-factly. "Ah. I think I heard of you once." "Was it good or bad?" Sola asked. "Good: I heard that you were both powerful and skilled in the force. From what I can sense, the powerful part was not exaggerated." Winona said. "Forgive me if I know little of you." Sola said carefully. "Was originally a normal padawan. My first master was killed when we went on a diplomatic mission to Earthrealm when the forces of Outworld attacked. I was sheltered by the Lin Kuei, who taught me their combat styles for several years until Outworld was pushed back, allowing the Lin Kuei to contact the Jedi Order. I was assigned to a new master until I elevated to the rank of Jedi Knight. Then, due to my time with the Lin Kuei, I became the Order's liaison." Winona said. Before Sola could reply, Sylas pointed with a hand at Sola's bag and made a soft noise. "Jax, can you...?" Sola asked and Jax got out a bottle for Sola to feed Sylas with. "So...what's with the kid? I never heard that you had a child." "Not mine. I found him and started to take care of him. I don't know if his parents made it or not." Sola replied. "I see..." Winona said. "So, I guess he's as good as mine right now." "I see." "So, what are you doing here in a refugee camp?" Jax asked suddenly. "I've been sent to maintain order in this camp. My partner will be sent here shortly." "Alright, Jedi. I'll be sure to help if you need any." Jax said and turned to Sola. "Sunshine, I'm gonna run and see if Dean needs any help in the garage. Be back soon." He said and left. "Jedi? Sunshine?" Winona asked once Jax was out of earshot. "He gives everybody nicknames. One of our friends is named 'Waffles'." "'Waffles?' And why'd he call me Jedi, I'm not the only Jedi out here." Winona asked. "No idea." Sola said, shrugging. "Waffles' sister is Daisy, then there's Shivs and Shanks." "Then I am uncertain as to what he'd call my partner..." Winona mused, to which Sola shrugged. "Sit down. You may as well." Sola told the Jedi. Winona sat down, and Sola spotted her dagger on her belt. "Cortosis or Phrik?" She asked. "Cortosis. It was a gift from grand master Sub-Zero." Winona said, pulling it out. "Ah. Must have been an honor. I was trained by a renegade Sith and then by his psycho clone before I took on two apprentices of my own." Sola said. "I see. My first master was a Miraluka, so I learned some sensory abilities, which proved useful when training with Sub-Zero during the outworld attack. Especially since I'm a Zelosian." "So you can get drunk off sugar?" Sola asked, getting a sigh out of Winona. "That's the first thing you think to say?" "Sorry, sorry." Sola said, hiding a smirk. "Anyways, those sensory abilities are useful when sneaking in the dark. When I returned to the Order, my training melded with my training with the Lin Kuei. That's why I'm the liaison." She explained. Before Sola could reply, a shuttle could be heard outside, likely bringing in more refugees. "Can you stay and watch the kids while I go and check that?" Sola asked. "Part of the reason I'm here..." Winona said. "Thanks. See you around." Sola said and left, taking Sylas with her. ---- Clara sighed and leaned back in her chair. She had been unable to contact anybody, once again. It was starting to get worrisome. What if tthe ''Jericho'' had been captured or destroyed? What if they were all that was left? She sighed again and pushed those thoughts aside. She stood up and stretched. She stopped at the sound of footsteps nearing her little cave. She turned to the entrance and saw Vitor. "Clara, I need your help." He said. Clara nodded, grabbed her weapons, and followed him to the cavern entrance. Once they were alone, Vitor stopped. "I think I saw a new breed of Skulblakan, and I want your help to investigate it." He said. "Ok, let's go." She said. He led her into the wasteland, and they were soon on the trail of something new. They followed the strange tracks until they reached the top of a hill. When they passed it, they saw the new monstrosity. It was at least a hundred feet tall. Massive, identical in appearance to its smaller brethren, save its size. "Jaysus." She whispered and they dove behind the hill. Vitor peeked over, hoping to god that it didn't spot them. "We should run back, there's no fighting that thing." He said quietly. He turned to her and saw her rocking back and forth, twitching slightly. "Clara?" He asked and leaned in. Her eyes were shut and moving rapidly under her eyelids. "Clara, c'mon, don't do this now." He said, grabbing her shoulders. Her eyes shot open and locked with his. They were glowing white wholly, no veins, pupils, or irises. She shoved him away and he flew back twenty feet. She stood up, turned to look at the hulking monstrosity, and jumped over the hill, practically flying towards it. The thing turned in time to see Clara draw her sword and fly straight through the creature's chest, spinning like a drill. The Marethari blade worked like a large cone, boring a hole large enough for her to fit through. She soared out the monster's back and turned around, now aiming for the creature's neck. This time, she spun in a circle, working like a weed-whacker, and she floated around the Skulblakan's neck in a circle, cutting its head off. She floated back to Vitor as the monster began to dissolve into an orange mist. She touched the ground and closed her eyes. When they opened, they were normal. Clara looked around, confused. "What happened?" She asked. "You just slaughtered a hundred-foot-tall Skulblakan while flying and glowing." Vitor summarized. "I don't remember doing that at all..." Clara said, sounding concerned. She turned around to see the massive orange cloud begin to dissipate. "We need to go, that cloud could draw attention." Vitor said. Clara agreed and they quickly returned to the cave. Wolves At the Gate Arrow on the Doorpost Birds of Prey Three Ghosts Out of Ashes Born of a Broken Man Voice of the Voiceless Bull in a China Shop Lost in the Echo Guilty All the Same Roads Untraveled Taking Over Me Before I Forget Till I Collapse Inside the Fire Sacred Lie The Heart's Desire Made of Scars